134 research outputs found
Women’s experiences of wearing therapeutic footwear in three European countries
Background: Therapeutic footwear is recommended for those people with severe foot problems associated with
rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, it is known that many do not wear them. Although previous European studies
have recommended service and footwear design improvements, it is not known if services have improved or if this
footwear meets the personal needs of people with RA. As an earlier study found that this footwear has more
impact on women than males, this study explores women’s experiences of the process of being provided with it
and wearing it. No previous work has compared women’s experiences of this footwear in different countries,
therefore this study aimed to explore the potential differences between the UK, the Netherlands and Spain.
Method: Women with RA and experience of wearing therapeutic footwear were purposively recruited. Ten women
with RA were interviewed in each of the three countries. An interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA) was
adopted during data collection and analysis. Conversational style interviews were used to collect the data.
Results: Six themes were identified: feet being visibly different because of RA; the referring practitioners’ approach
to the patient; the dispensing practitioners’ approach to the patient; the footwear being visible as different to
others; footwear influencing social participation; and the women’s wishes for improved footwear services. Despite
their nationality, these women revealed that therapeutic footwear invokes emotions of sadness, shame and anger
and that it is often the final and symbolic marker of the effects of RA on self perception and their changed lives.
This results in severe restriction of important activities, particularly those involving social participation. However,
where a patient focussed approach was used, particularly by the practitioners in Spain and the Netherlands, the
acceptance of this footwear was much more evident and there was less wastage as a result of the footwear being
prescribed and then not worn. In the UK, the women were more likely to passively accept the footwear with the
only choice being to reject it once it had been provided. All the women were vocal about what would improve
their experiences and this centred on the consultation with both the referring practitioner and the practitioner that
provides the footwear.
Conclusion: This unique study, carried out in three countries has revealed emotive and personal accounts of what
it is like to have an item of clothing replaced with an ‘intervention’. The participant’s experience of their
consultations with practitioners has revealed the tension between the practitioners’ requirements and the women’s
‘social’ needs. Practitioners need greater understanding of the social and emotional consequences of using
therapeutic footwear as an intervention
Near-field scattering by dielectric spheroidal particles with sizes on the order of the illuminating wavelength
We present a theoretical study of electric field scattering by wavelength-sized spheroids. The incident, internal, and scattered fields are computed analytically by a spheroidal coordinate separation-of-variables solution, assuming axially incident monochromatic illumination. The main sources of possible numerical errors are identified and an additional point-matching procedure is implemented to provide a built-in test of the validity of the results. Numerical results were obtained for prolate and oblate particles with particular aspect ratios and sizes, and a refractive index of 1.33 relative to the surrounding medium. Special attention is paid to the characteristics of the near-field in close proximity to the spheroids. It is shown that particles with sizes close to the incident wavelength can produce high field enhancements whose spatial location and extension can be controlled by the particle geometry
The fire toxicity of polyurethane foams [Review]
Polyurethane is widely used, with its two major applications, soft furnishings and insulation, having low thermal inertia, and hence enhanced flammability. In addition to their flammability, polyurethanes form carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide and other toxic products on decomposition and combustion.
The chemistry of polyurethane foams and their thermal decomposition are discussed in order to assess the relationship between the chemical and physical composition of the foam and the toxic products generated during their decomposition. The toxic product generation during flaming combustion of polyurethane foams is reviewed, in order to relate the yields of toxic products and the overall fire toxicity to the fire conditions. The methods of assessment of fire toxicity are outlined in order to understand how the fire toxicity of polyurethane foams may be quantified. In particular, the ventilation condition has a critical effect on the yield of the two major asphyxiants, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanid
Rheumatoid arthritis patients' experiences of wearing therapeutic footwear - A qualitative investigation
Background: Specialist 'therapeutic' footwear is recommended for patients with diseases such as
rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a beneficial intervention for reducing foot pain, improving foot health,
and increasing general mobility. However, many patients choose not to wear this footwear.
Recommendations from previous studies have been implemented but have had little impact in
improving this situation. The aim of this study was to explore RA patients' experiences of this
footwear to ascertain the factors which influence their choice to wear it or not.
Method: Ten females and three males with RA and experience of wearing specialist footwear were
recruited from four National Health Service orthotic services. Semi-structured interviews were
carried out in the participants own homes. A hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of the
transcripts was carried out to identify themes.
Results: The analysis revealed two main themes from both the female and male groups. These
were the participants' feelings about their footwear and their experiences of the practitioner/s
involved in providing the footwear. In addition, further themes were revealed from the female
participants. These were feelings about their feet, behaviour associated with the footwear, and
their feelings about what would have improved their experience.
Conclusion: Unlike any other intervention specialist therapeutic footwear replaces something
that is normally worn and is part of an individual's body image. It has much more of a negative
impact on the female patients' emotions and activities than previously acknowledged and this
influences their behaviour with it. The patients' consultations with the referring and dispensing
practitioners are pivotal moments within the patient/practitioner relationship that have the
potential to influence whether patients choose to wear the footwear or not
- …